AtariMissile Command is one of the most beloved arcade games of all time, but it’s also a byproduct of one of the most turbulent geopolitical eras in American history — The Cold War. Spawned out of the fear of nuclear annihilation, Missile Command epitomizes the inexplicable way that entertainment is informed and molded by history. When Mighty Yell and Atari looked at reviving Missile Command, it was vital that the game’s historical place was kept in mind.“Cold War media is all about fear, and paranoia of an impending invasion by an unpredictable enemy,” Missile Command Delta director Dave Proctor tells Inverse, “There’s a reason we wanted to tell this story through the lens of four teens — they have values, they have beliefs, and those things become tested and what they know about the world becomes less and less clear as the story goes on.”There’s a lot of thought that’s gone into every aspect of Missile Command Delta — not just in reimagining the arcade gameplay, but what a game about Cold War paranoia means in the context of modern times. Delta is a richly layered revival, and shortly after the game’s launch Inverse talked to Proctor in-depth about the game’s vision and message. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.I’m curious about the idea behind Delta. When the project started, was there always a plan to give it a complex narrative? Or was the initial idea more of a straight revival of Missile Command?Proctor: The plan was always to bring the world of Missile Command into a new, strange, and weird story. We wanted to bring the game into more of a tactical-strategy framework, and also ask questions about “Who is in these missile command outposts, and who is attacking you” in a way that felt like it was straight out of an ‘80s movie.The original Missile Command is pretty well known as a depiction of the Cold War. How did that factor into what you wanted to do with Delta?Proctor: Cold War media is all about fear, and paranoia of an impending invasion by an unpredictable enemy. We thought it would be worth it to explore what that kind of emotion presents as in a more modern context, and bring up questions about who that enemy is, what is really happening, and what you can do when you feel so very out of your depth with regards to who the “enemies” are.There’s a reason we wanted to tell this story through the lens of four teens — they have values, they have beliefs, and those things become tested and what they know about the world becomes less and less clear as the story goes on. If the Cold War was about paranoia of a known enemy, we’re really in a place where we don’t know who “the enemy” is, if that enemy is real, and what we can do to stop it. This sounds bleak as heck, but in this latter framing there ARE people that can make a difference, and you can make choices that can make change.The new puzzle-esque battles of Delta are used as both a device for strategy and for narrative. | AtariWhy did you decide to reimagine Missile Command as a strategy game? And with that, were there any difficulties in making that transition?Proctor: Part of our reasoning was a general challenge from Atari to do something different with their IP. They have great access to the classic Missile Command games, through Atari 50 or Recharged, and they encouraged us to think outside the bunker, as it were. The teams and I love card games and tactics gameplay, and it was a fun challenge to take the thought process that goes into each second of Missile Command and expand it out to a dense, strategic, turn-based decision.It was hard figuring out how to balance turns, missile distances, hex-grid behaviors, and how to make the player feel like every one of their actions were vital, but that the game wanted them to succeed. I’m really proud of where we landed, especially with that last point. It really feels like you CAN beat these missile attacks.In Delta, the missile sections almost feel like a puzzle element. How did you land on the balance between missile sections and narrative? How did you make sure the pacing worked?Proctor: The biggest want for us on this game was to make sure the player never felt like they were playing two games. The 13AM team worked incredibly hard balancing conversation length and puzzle pacing, making sure that you felt like you were getting rewarded for each by completing the other. A lot of it was through playtesting and iteration with other players, watching where they get frustrated, or where they wanted more of a given segment. Also Atari were instrumental in some pretty detailed feedback. It helps when you’re working with the OGs, you know?Delta’s story is all about paranoia and deciding who you can trust, both within the bunker and without. | AtariDelta’s narrative elements almost feel escape room-esque in terms of the discovery and exploration you need to do: Were there any games or films you looked to for inspiration?Proctor: Inscryption was a huge inspiration for both halves of the game, honestly. There is a lot of discovery and exploration in that game, even in (a series of) small room (s) (spoilers). You have to learn how things connect, you have to be curious about your surroundings, and you have to remember where things are and what the game is hinting at. We thought a lot about bunker mysteries like 10 Cloverfield Lane too, that movie is a constant push and pull between machinations to escape and questions about what is really going on outside.I want to ask about that kind of story you’re hoping to tell with Delta. Things like a threat of war and deterrence are obviously still incredibly relevant topics today. With that in mind, how have you gone about creating this story, and what themes are you hoping for?Proctor: It's unfortunate that topics like that are evergreen. The story that we want to tell hopefully brings up a lot of questions in people about who is pulling the strings, and what it means to have “an enemy” at all, but at its heart Missile Command Delta is a story about four people, people who have real personalities and relationships in an impossible situation, and the way we treat one another when the chips are down is the one thing we can control.If the game leaves you with more questions than answers about authoritarian control, that’s not the worst outcome…but you will have an opinion about the people in your life and what you can do to protect them.Do you think there’s potential in reimagining more classic, dormant games this wildly? Are there any specific games you think have potential?Proctor: Oh gosh, I hope so. I think it's amazing that companies are willing to take risks with their IP and give developers a shot at thinking outside the bunker. It's a great way to introduce a wider audience to new ideas and new ways of playing games, while still retaining some of the design concerns that make those original games great. What I think is great about Missile Command Delta is that it reminds me of Missile Command — you never attack first, you’re always on your heels, you have to balance resources. Those things made a great arcade game, and they’ll also make a great card game. Heck they might make a great racing game too (but I do not know what that would look like).I DO have a wild pitch for Moon Patrol though (Atari, call me).Missile Command Delta is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.